For the first time in perhaps nine decades, the Macoupin County Fair has been canceled.

Other event organizers are watching closely as the days move closer to summer fair and festival season.

Some — like the Virginia Bar-B-Que, which was scheduled for June 7-9 — have been waylaid while others — such as the Greene County Fair — are holding out some flickering hope.

Longtime Macoupin County residents have said they believe this is the first time the fair has been scrapped since the Great Depression of 1929 to 1933.

The fair was scheduled for June 9-13, but its board decided this week that there was too much uncertainty about what the coming weeks will hold in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“In today’s world with so many unknowns, we feel it is in the best interest of the county, vendors, sponsors, exhibitors, volunteers and fairgoers to make this decision,” fair board members said in a statement. “We had an amazing 2020 fair planned and we look forward to being back bigger and better in 2021.”

Illinois remains under a stay-at-home order that prohibits large gatherings and non-essential business. Although Gov. J.B. Pritzker this week unveiled a five-phase plan to “reopen” the state, there is no clear timeline for when large events will again be allowed.

In Greene County, fair board members are mulling their options for the June 20 event.

“We may reschedule. We may have a weekend festival at some point. We may have our fireworks show with social distancing as a requirement,” the board said in a statement. ” We are just not sure how COVID-19 will affect the Illinois county fair schedule.”

The board said its greatest concern is for the welfare of the community.

“Rest assured, the Greene County Agricultural Fair is alive and well,” the board said. “We will overcome this. We will see you at some point in 2020.”